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Feedback on recent sale

DOA, replace coral, not my fault?

  • DOA

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Replace frag

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Not your fault

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Total voters
    8
Please read here before posting. Outside comments are not permitted per R2R's feedback forum policy. This is to allow the buyer and seller to have a streamlined conversation and hopefully come to a mutually satisfactory resolution in a negative transaction. If you would like to contribute your own feedback experience with either the buyer or seller, you may do so by creating your own feedback thread. Only the thread starter and vendor will have posting access. Thank you.

Tyreef2016

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Hey guys,

I’m just looking for some other reefers input on a recent sale.

I sold a zoa trio. Buyer said only day he can get the package was on Tuesday and needed them shipped out on Monday. I checked with my local shipper and said since Tuesday is New Year’s Eve I would need to get the package dropped off by 3 on Monday to insure it got shipped. I work 5:30-4 and doubted I would get it out, but I got my wife to package it up and drop it off before she went to work.

package arrives to buyer. States water isn’t very warm and bag is very dirty.. he then sends this.
818DE9E0-74BD-4B85-85C1-FE94C3F1070B.jpeg

He states I don’t see any polyps on the rock, I fear they didn’t make it.

okay... I’m a nice guy and try to be understanding cause I’ve been in his shoes before. I politely state I can’t be sure from this photo it’s a DOA and need a better picture of the rock in the bag. I rarely know a case that in less than 24hrs a zoa will completely disappear.

he replies with this photo
D4E83950-12CC-44A2-8D16-6F8E13463216.jpeg


being Tuesday and New Years and I’m working I tell him to acclimate, those are not melted or sliming apart. Put in low flow and low light after acclimation and keep me posted. He tells me at night they still look the same. Okay sometimes zoas need more time then usual to acclimate Understandable.

then today I get a text: hello they have died. Last night they were expelling brown and now they are gone.. sends this picture. Says they’re all smushed, they’re gone..
E394A4E9-1322-4EFD-9DC7-E76DD3AC53CA.jpeg


he then sends a video of the piece looking completely diff then this picture. Zoas looked bleached and one is expelling some brown. Yes this video doesn’t look good, I replied what happened from the picture to this video he sent? He said this photo was 15 mins before the video he sent.. big difference in corals appearance in 15mins

I’m just looking for some advice outside me and the buyer as what would you do in this situation?

to his defense the packaging wasn’t completely up to my usual standards as I didn’t get to package it up and ship it off myself, but gave the wife ample supplies and a heat pack. I know cold affects corals and shipping plays it’s roles in survival.

are agreement was DOA in the bag.

please some feedback is greatly appreciated as I hate loosing corals and never want a bad transaction to happen but we’ll all know sometimes these things are unavoidable.
 
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Tyreef2016

Tyreef2016

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Please if you do end up voting can you let me know why you feel this way. Also these aren’t $10 zoas, they were GMK.
 

Coral Me Impressed

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I know we strive to meet the costumers expectations but as a business understanding when you can't meet their expectations it's always easier to be honest and upfront. Sounds like waiting may have been beneficial for both parties. If I felt that packaging or shipping played a role in the out come I would refund if a replacement isn't available.
 
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Tyreef2016

Tyreef2016

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Can I ask why you didn't get him to send you a photo of the frags out of the bag when he first got them?
I asked for photo after acclimation but only received these. As per shipping rules I’m only liable for DOA in my bag and figured they would acclimate just fine since they were not withering away in the photo and seemed quiet intact and healthy.
 
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Tyreef2016

Tyreef2016

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I know we strive to meet the costumers expectations but as a business understanding when you can't meet their expectations it's always easier to be honest and upfront. Sounds like waiting may have been beneficial for both parties. If I felt that packaging or shipping played a role in the out come I would refund if a replacement isn't available.
Thanks for your input and agreed I should have delayed to make sure my shipment could have been packaged better. It’s just such a thin line to make a judgment saying shipping did or didn’t cause it. I’ve lost power for 2 days in winter to have my tank at low temperatures and every rebounded just fine after slowly bring the temperature back up. Also we know that sometimes zoas can be finicky

that’s why I appreciate the outside feedback
 

Silver14SS

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to his defense the packaging wasn’t completely up to my usual standards as I didn’t get to package it up and ship it off myself, but gave the wife ample supplies and a heat pack. I know cold affects corals and shipping plays it’s roles in survival.

If I shipped livestock, acknowledged that it was substandard packaging, and then the livestock died, I’d feel obligated to refund the purchaser. Risk of doing business, sounds like this one got rushed and didn’t go as planned.
 

IslandLifeReef

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I think the buyer did what you asked. If the Zoa’s didn’t make it and you thought that packaging may have been an issue as you stated, the right thing to do would be replace the coral or a refund.
 

mbmartin06

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Without 100% certainty it wasn’t the packaging that is acknowledged as a possible issue it’s hard to say it’s the buyers fault. In my business without solid proof of customer delay/error we always refund/credit the customer.
 
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Tyreef2016

Tyreef2016

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The only reason I say it was substandard is I didn’t have a cooler for the coral. It did have heat pack with plenty of newspaper and bubble rap to make it not bounce around.

also made me very uneasy him stating they didn’t make it from the second he opened the package then clearly showing 3 polyps clear as day.

Thank you again everyone.
 

IslandLifeReef

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The only reason I say it was substandard is I didn’t have a cooler for the coral. It did have heat pack with plenty of newspaper and bubble rap to make it not bounce around.

also made me very uneasy him stating they didn’t make it from the second he opened the package then clearly showing 3 polyps clear as day.

Thank you again everyone.

You can’t tell from the three polyps that the Zoa’s survived, they could have been on their way out.

No cooler, just paper and a heat pack. The buyer even stated the water was cold. You didn’t pack it, but gave that responsibility to someone else.

Sounds like you made up your mind from the beginning that you weren’t going to honor DOA from your statements above but wanted justification from others in your decision. If you have to ask others what you should do, then you should error on the side of the buyer IMO.
 
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Tyreef2016

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You can’t tell from the three polyps that the Zoa’s survived, they could have been on their way out.

No cooler, just paper and a heat pack. The buyer even stated the water was cold. You didn’t pack it, but gave that responsibility to someone else.

Sounds like you made up your mind from the beginning that you weren’t going to honor DOA from your statements above but wanted justification from others in your decision. If you have to ask others what you should do, then you should error on the side of the buyer IMO.
I agree with others saying you should side with the customer and honor your DOA

I don’t disagree with anything you guys are saying. For the record I already offered him a replacement and we have come to an agreement before posting this thread, I just came here for further advice.

But to say I made up my mind not to honor a DOA is a strong statement. What classifies a coral as a DOA? I myself have been on the other end of these transactions to receive a cold package with coral clinging to life only to slowly die in my tank as reputable dealers from this site tell you low flow, low light, give it time etc etc.. to wait out a week and be left without a refund or replacement. them having the money and coral to leave me high and dry and me on the other hand just a hobbyist going to lengths to ensure both party’s are happy.

I wouldn’t be looking for opinions if I wanted to be that type of Reefer and say sorry man kick rocks. So again I appreciate everyone’s feedback
 

IslandLifeReef

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I don’t disagree with anything you guys are saying. For the record I already offered him a replacement and we have come to an agreement before posting this thread, I just came here for further advice.

But to say I made up my mind not to honor a DOA is a strong statement. What classifies a coral as a DOA? I myself have been on the other end of these transactions to receive a cold package with coral clinging to life only to slowly die in my tank as reputable dealers from this site tell you low flow, low light, give it time etc etc.. to wait out a week and be left without a refund or replacement. them having the money and coral to leave me high and dry and me on the other hand just a hobbyist going to lengths to ensure both party’s are happy.

I wouldn’t be looking for opinions if I wanted to be that type of Reefer and say sorry man kick rocks. So again I appreciate everyone’s feedback

Glad to hear this.

Sorry if my statement bothered you. The reason I felt this way is you mentioned multiple times that your agreement was DOA in the bag. You also mentioned packaging not being up to your standard, yet said it should have been ok. It seemed to me that you didn't want to honor the DOA. Glad I was wrong. You did the right thing and hopefully earned yourself more buyers from this. :)
 
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Tyreef2016

Tyreef2016

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Glad to hear this.

Sorry if my statement bothered you. The reason I felt this way is you mentioned multiple times that your agreement was DOA in the bag. You also mentioned packaging not being up to your standard, yet said it should have been ok. It seemed to me that you didn't want to honor the DOA. Glad I was wrong. You did the right thing and hopefully earned yourself more buyers from this. :)
Not at all. All positive feedback. I just know there’s always 2 types of people on here and I wanna be sure I’m on the good side. Also being fair to both party’s involved.

Your right I did mention the DOA and as a buyer myself I realize dying on arrival is a thing that occurs sometimes. But where as a seller would you draw the line for DOA to successful shipment? That’s all.
 
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Tyreef2016

Tyreef2016

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Well just a little update on this story.

Sometimes when something feels off chances are it is.

so I replaced the buyer GMK frags with not 3 but a 4th on the frag and some freebie zoas to make up for the first shipment and leave things on a good note.

buyer received his package everything opened right up, he stated they were beautiful, healthy and he was happy.

fast forward 3 days I get a text saying he wants to return the corals!! I’m in shock! I reply I’m sorry but there are no returns as I can’t even guarantee I’ll get these returned in the same shape I sold them. Also that the only buyer protection was DOA. Meanwhile he is trying to sell them on a Facebook group for double what he paid. Who actually thinks they can return a coral 3 days later? Most likely trying to scam me and send and empty box and keep the coral then dispute he sent it back.

now I’m in the middle of a PayPal dispute under item not as described. Also from what I’ve read this will not be good news for me as a seller and I will be out money and coral. I took lots of screenshots of our conversation and his post to Facebook selling the exact frag but I still can’t believe there are people like this in our community and it really makes me second guess things.

from earlier everyone thought I was being a jerk or not honoring my DOA but sometimes things just don’t seem right and it raises the internal alarm in our brains. So I came here looking for advice on it and I tried doing the right thing and I fear I will still take the L on this.

anyone Ever won a not as described claim as a seller? Would love to hear your story
 
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